Boys track team loaded in running and field events shapes up as 'definitely one of the two best I've ever coached,' according to head coach Bryan Nallenweg

Tom Keegan
onwardtrojans.com

So deep and so talented, the Chesterton boys track and field team has specialized in producing good news the past couple of years, and more should be on the way as the spring unfolds. But first, the unfortunate news.
Pending hearing results of an MRI that he expected would confirm the doctor’s suspicion that he has a stress fracture of the back, pole vaulter Joe Sandrick said he believes that his track career is over, which means so too is his relentless pursuit of the school record.
“Oh well, someone else can get it now,” Sandrick said, trying to smile through the news that jolted the whole team.
As a junior, Sandrick cleared 15 feet and tied for the second-best mark in school history, behind only Justin Zosso (15-7 in 2012).
“Obviously, I feel bad for Joe, first and foremost,” head coach Bryan Nallenweg said. “For a kid who worked so hard, is such a nice kid and put so much time and effort into it, it’s tough. Unless the MRI comes back with a miracle, losing Joe is a big loss for the team.”
A popular teammate, Sandrick had back difficulties that ended his postseason early as a junior.
Even without the massive point totals Sandrick would have compiled, meet in and meet out, the Trojans are loaded.
Seven of the eight athletes who competed at the state meet last season are back: seniors Kieran Barnewall, AJ Brandon, Owen Edlen, and Aaron Resto, and juniors Louis Raffin, Nathan Vaughan and Cal Wisniewski.
Preston Throw, who finished 31st at state in the 100 meters, is the lone exception.
“This year’s team, even with the loss of Joe, is still one of the best all-around track teams that I think we’ve had at Chesterton, probably ever,” Nallenweg said. “It’s definitely one of the two best that I’ve ever coached.”
The other, in 2017, placed fourth at state.
“If everything went perfectly on the day of the state meet, we could maybe be top five,” Nallenweg said. “We’d have to have a lot of things go well.”
Barnewall and Edlen both are seeking to earn medals in two events at state, as opposed to the one they earned a year ago. Barnewall will continue his track career at Indiana State and Edlen is bound for the Air Force Academy to play football.
Barnewall, who owns the Chesterton school record in both hurdles events, placed third at state in the 110 high hurdles, timed in 14.32. He was 19th in the 300 intermediate hurdles. He ran a 14.11 on April 9, 2024, for the school record in the shorter hurdles race. His 300 record (38.78) came at the Portage sectional May 16, when he won both hurdles races.
The two hurdlers who finished ahead of Barnewall at state in the 110 have graduated. Two runners close to home will be among those chasing the state title with him. Andrean’s James Finley finished fourth, Merrillville’s John Peters seventh.
“I could see Kieran in the 37s in the 300 and in the 110, 14.11 is already a pretty darn good time,” Nallenweg said. “At the same time, considering he was sub-8 in the 60-meter hurdles, I think that bodes well for putting him under 14 outdoors on the perfect day with the right conditions.”
Edlen was more of a shot put threat most of his career until coming on strong in the discus last season.
“Owen’s goal is to break both school records, and I could see him pushing both of those records a little bit,” Nallenweg said.
Rick Fulton set the school record in the shot put (60-6) in 1980, and Shawn Schleizer has the CHS discus record (166-1), set in 1989.
Edlen earned the eighth-place medal in the shot put, throwing in the rain at state last season with a mark of 55-10.5. He threw the discus 147-2 last April at the West Lafayette Relays. Ryan Gray is coming on in the discus and fellow offensive linemen Carlos Leon and Tyler Nevious (recovering from a foot injury) are showing promise in the shot put.
It was easy to see big junior seasons coming from Barnewall and Edlen. In contrast, high jumper AJ Brandon came from out of nowhere to quickly attain elite status. A former basketball player, Brandon took up jumping last season and cleared 6-6. His high mark at state was 6-2 to finish in 20th, and he shapes up as a strong candidate for a medal this season. Brandon cleared 6-8 at an indoor meet at Portage last month. He has Matt Nover’s school record of 6-10 on his mind every time he jumps.
Brandon has company this year in competing in rarified air.
One year behind Brandon, Nolan Johnston also is a former basketball player who took up a new sport late in life and encountered instant success, clearing 6-4 at an indoor meet. Picking up two jumpers that good in a two-year span is the sort of break that can balance the tough luck of losing Sandrick.
Five of the team’s top runners count the 400 meters, a grueling race that nearly is an all-out sprint, among the races at which they excel.
Thus far, Aaron Resto has been the team’s best at that distance, but four others are right on his heels, and three of the four will join him to form the 4x400 relay team that has a shot at earning a medal at state. The four joining Resto also will be counted on to produce big points in other events.
Either Cal Wisniewski or Nathan Vaughan, but probably not both, will run the 110 hurdles, and Wisniewski runs the 300 hurdles as well.
“We hope Cal can get to state in the 300 hurdles and we think he has a shot at pushing Kieran in the 300,” Nallenweg said.
Louis Raffin is right there with Resto in the 400. Barnewall is an option for the 4x400 as well. All five runners who shared the four-man event last year are back and expect to improve upon last season’s 19th-place finish.
Vaughan and Raffin also have shots at developing into state-worthy long jumpers, as does Raffin, and Vaughan is an accomplished 200-meter runner. Vaughan, as versatile a performer as there is on the team, also can run the 100.
The Trojans also have talent in the 4x800, but enough talent to make it to state in a region packed with exceptional half-milers? It will take optimal health and development to make a run at it.
Spencer Martin missed most of last season with a hip injury. Zarek Sierazy, who ran indoor track for the first time and is putting all of his focus on track this spring and will not play club soccer. They lead the way. Nathan Nix and William Morgan also have what it takes to score points in dual meets.
Devin Throw, Weston Moore and Gus Wisch will push to lower their times in the sprints. In the pole vault, Maddox McKinney, as soon as he recovers from his ankle injury, and Clayton Palm, will try to soften the blow of losing Sandrick.
“We definitely have a lot of top-end talent, but we also have a lot of depth, where there aren’t going to be a ton of events where we won’t have two guys score points,” Nallenweg said. “I definitely think we’ll be the favorites going into sectionals, and we’ll probably finish top three in the conference meet and regionals.”
Unless Wednesday’s forecast has meteorologists picking eggshells out of their eyes for weeks, look for Wednesday’s scheduled quadrangular home meet to be canceled. In that event, the boys will open their season at home Tuesday, April 15 at 4:45 p.m.